What would Eurovision 2026 have looked like if Israel had won?

So, Israel won the public vote.
297 televote points. Austria, the actual winner, came in third with 178. And for a while, it genuinely looked like Israel might take the whole thing.

Even watching from home, the tension was obvious. The presenters looked visibly uncomfortable. You could see the gulps, the stiffness, the forced uncomfortable and overwhelmed smiles. And honestly, I don’t blame them. It’s unfair of the EBU to put them that position, people hired to host a song contest, not front a geopolitical media storm.

Because if Israel had won, it wouldn’t just have been controversial. It would have been an absolute shit show.

A quick recap

Just to quickly recap from a Eurovision perspective (sure it’s not needed), Israel’s participation this year caused major backlash due to the ongoing war and their government’s attacks on Palestine. The reality of what’s happening there is nightmare-inducing. Civilians are being killed, entire neighbourhoods flattened, and humanitarian aid like food, electricity and medical supplies has been repeatedly blocked. The UN has described it as “plausible genocide,” and there’s widespread condemnation from humanitarian organisations around the world.

Eurovision removed Russia from the contest in 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine. (It’s worth noting that the EBU didn’t remove Russia immediately either. That only happened once other countries started threatening to pull out.) For them to turn a blind eye to what’s happening in Palestine while still allowing Israel to compete feels, quite frankly, ridiculous. The hypocrisy hasn’t gone unnoticed from Eurovision fans and media outlets.

Israel has always run strong Eurovision campaigns, but this year’s was something else. Times Square billboards, huge YouTube pre-rolls with tens of millions of views, and widespread international advertising. Much of that promotional push appears to have been organised by Israel’s official government advertising arm, the Ministry of Public Diplomacy. That’s significant, because Eurovision’s rules clearly state that the contest “shall in no case be politicised and/or instrumentalised and/or otherwise brought into disrepute in any way.”

They’ve enforced this before, in 2009, Georgia was disqualified/rejected for submitting a song titled “We Don’t Wanna Put In,” seen as a dig at Putin during the Russia–Georgia conflict. So when you consider that Israel’s promotional efforts appear to have been government-funded during an active war, it raises a huge question: how is that not breaking the same rule? There’s no public rulebook available, but their guidelines say acts should not bring the contest into disrepute or include political content. I’m not sure how a campaign funded by a government during wartime doesn’t break that.

To make things even messier, the contest’s lead sponsor is Moroccan Oil, an Israeli-founded beauty brand. From my own experience working on large brand partnerships with broadcasters, these kinds of multi-year headline sponsorships are rarely small. In most cases, we’re talking about £10 million and up. So yes, financial pressure probably played a role in why things weren’t addressed more directly.

Some argue the EBU is being spineless. Others point to the Moroccan Oil sponsorship. But the bigger picture, according to some, is that the EBU is actually protecting Kan (Israel’s public broadcaster) to stay aligned with its original mission to uphold 'free and independent' broadcasting.

The irony is, Kan itself replaced Israel’s previous broadcaster, IBA, which was disbanded under Netanyahu for being too left-leaning. Kan is now considered more compliant, but still under pressure from government figures who’ve called it disgraceful. If that pressure continues, Kan may soon no longer qualify under EBU’s own rules.

So what would have happened if Israel won?

Here’s how I think Eurovision 2026 would have potentially looked.

1. Broadcasters would have pulled out

Some countries had already raised concerns this year. If Israel had actually won, broadcasters would have faced serious public pressure. I think some broadcasters would have pulled out completely.

Even in the UK for this years Eurovision, a lot of people weren’t watching. Not in some loud, look-at-me protest, they just didn’t tune in. Not out of apathy, but because they didn’t feel right watching something that seemed to support and celebrate a country whose actions they so strongly oppose. The viewing figures prove this - The UK saw an average of 6.7 million viewers watch the final this year. The figure is one million down on last year's figures and is also the lowest for a decade.

If Israel had won, that quiet decision not to watch would have turned into something much louder in 2026.

2. Hosting in Israel would have just been impossible

This is the part that really wouldn’t have worked. Fans weren’t going to book flights to Tel Aviv to party for a week while knowing innocent people are suffering a few miles away.

And it’s not just political discomfort or safety concerns, it’s guilt. People wouldn’t want to go to a country they feel horrified by. The idea of spending money there, being seen to support it, drinking cocktails next to Eurovision signage, knowing what’s happening nearby… it’s just too much. People would have felt like hypocrites, especially if they’d criticised it all year. Also there would be mass judgement/public shaming on anyone who did decide to go.

Journalists might have gone, but only to report on the turnout, the awkwardness, and the eerie vibe. It probably would have been a mostly Israeli audience. The fan base wouldn’t have shown up.

3. The televote is already being questioned

Israel received 12 points from Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. That list doesn’t reflect what’s been seen online or in real conversations.

The televote is already being questioned by some broadcasters and while the ad campaign might explain some of it, it still doesn’t sit right with a lot of people. It’s pretty strange the song came second, won the televote yet is non existent in any of the music charts/top 100 playlists in the countries who provided them with 12 points.

If Israel had actually won, I think some broadcasters would have demanded a proper investigation into how that result happened.

4. Other artists would have been forgotten

Eurovision is a huge platform for artists to grow their reach and build momentum across Europe. It’s meant to lead to streams, press, shows, and new audiences. This is whether you win or lose.

But if Israel had won, all of that would have been drowned out by political backlash. Every other act would’ve been completely overshadowed.

Even this year’s winner, JJ, hasn’t had the public celebration he fully deserved. Every headline has been about “beating Israel” - not about his artistry. That’s not how this is supposed to go. The EBU have turned what’s meant to be a celebration of music into a political tightrope, and it’s affected everyone involved.

5. Sponsors would have dropped out

Eurovision isn’t cheap, and sponsorship plays a major role in keeping the whole thing running at the level it does. But brands don’t like controversy - they like clean, safe associations. If a brand came to me asking if it’s a good idea to sponsor Eurovision in 2026 had Israel won, the answer would have been incredibly easy.

After a win like that, I think a lot of them would’ve disappeared. Not in a dramatic way. They just wouldn’t re-sign. Less money means a cheaper show. That has a knock-on effect everywhere.

6. The Big Five may have walked

The Big Five - the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are Eurovision’s biggest financial contributors. They get automatic spots in the final because of how much they fund. If even one of them had dropped out, it would have thrown the entire structure of the contest into chaos.

In London alone, we’ve had practically weekly marches in support of Palestine. Can you imagine the backlash if the UK’s broadcaster BBC (funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households) or government was seen funding an Israeli-hosted Eurovision? The protests alone in the UK would have been huge. It would’ve sparked a huge wave of anger.

7. The EBU clearly didn’t have a plan

Let’s be honest… they haven’t had a good PR strategy in place regarding Israel’s inclusion, full stop. I’m astonished from a PR perspective how they’re handling it to be honest. And based on how the event felt, it’s obvious they didn’t have any kind of plan if Israel had won.

You could see it on the presenters’ faces. They didn’t know what to do. Sweden had been the clear favourite going in (and ended up fourth) so this wasn’t the result most people expected. You could feel the panic.

If Israel had won, EBU would’ve been thrown into absolute chaos. There’s no way to spin it. They would have been forced into full-blown damage control - a reactive statement once the media imploded, trying to manage the inevitable social media backlash, likely boycotts from broadcasters, and a scramble to explain how they planned to host the show in Tel Aviv without setting their reputation on fire. It wouldn’t have been a crisis PR moment, it would’ve been crisis management on every level: political, operational, reputational.

8. Delegations and teams would have stepped back

People forget how many individuals work on Eurovision behind the scenes - stylists, dancers, delegation teams, press teams, photographers, stage crew, producers, freelancers... To name a few. If Israel had won, a lot of these people wouldn’t have agreed to come back. Not only out of personal protest, but out of discomfort - they wouldn’t want to be publicly seen as supporting it.

Over the last two years, it’s been clear the audience has felt empathy for the people working on Eurovision. Most of them just love the show and want to preserve the fun, sweet, slightly ridiculous spirit of it. Eurovision, at its core, is meant to be a lovely thing - a celebration of music from different cultures. And for the most part, it has been. Just a fun night. But if the next show had been hosted in Tel Aviv, I think that sympathy would have disappeared. The public mood would have changed. People would’ve blamed them for being part of it. That would have caused a mass drop-off, and it would have changed the feeling of the contest entirely…. Mainly because I truly believe no one would have gone or wanted to work for the EBU.

9. The audience numbers would’ve dropped off a cliff

One of the biggest consequences of an Israeli win would’ve been the loss of viewers. Not just fans refusing to travel - but people not even tuning in.

Even this year, plenty of people quietly chose not to watch. Not out of laziness or lack of interest, but because they didn’t want to feel complicit in something that felt so politically off. If Israel had won, that quiet discomfort would’ve turned into a proper boycott.

And it wouldn’t just be the hardcore fans… casual viewers, radio DJs, press outlets, social audiences. The buzz would’ve died instantly. Eurovision thrives off mass viewership and feeling like you’re part of something global. That energy would’ve completely disappeared. Though I’m sure they would have got a lot of curious viewers to see how it went down.

Final thought

The truth is, Eurovision hasn’t been “just about music” for a long time. The contest sends powerful messages globally. But this year, those messages were messy and deeply political, and they left both the fans and the EBU in a very awkward place.

There are TikToks and reels everywhere mocking the idea that Eurovision is “apolitical.” It’s not. Everyone can see that now.

The longer the EBU pretends this isn’t a problem, the worse their reputation is going to get. They’ve created a situation where artists, fans, and teams are now stuck navigating geopolitics at what’s meant to be a celebration of music and culture.

The show itself was your typical mix of fun, strange, slightly chaotic Eurovision energy that people know and love - except for the very obvious audience muting during Israel’s performance, to cover up the now-annual booing, and the flag restrictions that caused a quiet but clear backlash.

(Audience members were allowed to wave Palestinian flags, but performers were banned from showing anything other than their national flag - including Pride flags - in official spaces like the stage, Green Room, and opening ceremony. For a show that prides itself on being inclusive, that decision didn’t sit right with a lot of people.)

And when the votes started rolling in and it became clear Israel could actually win, the whole atmosphere shifted. It stopped being about the music and turned into a reputational countdown for the EBU.

At some point, they have to fix this. They need to decide what the priorities are - is protecting Israel’s involvement more important than protecting the contest itself?

And now that the result was so close - a handful of jury votes away from a full-blown disaster… maybe it’s been a wake-up call?
Was this near-win enough to force real decisions about next year? It should be.

Because if it happens again, Eurovision risks everything… In my humble opinion